# gag

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɡæɡ/ · frequency rank #12,426

## Definitions
1. A device to restrain speech, such as a rag in the mouth secured with tape or a rubber ball threaded onto a cord or strap.
2. An order or rule forbidding discussion of a case or subject.
3. Any suppression of freedom of speech.
4. A joke or other mischievous prank.
5. a device or trick used to create a practical effect; a gimmick
6. A convulsion of the upper digestive tract.
7. A mouthful that makes one retch or choke.
8. Unscripted lines introduced by an actor into his part.
9. Mycteroperca microlepis, a species of grouper.
10. A shocking or surprising thing.

## Etymology
The noun is from Early Modern English gagge; the verb is from Middle English gaggen. Possibly imitative or perhaps related to or influenced by Old Norse gag-háls ("with head thrown backwards"; > Norwegian dialectal gaga (“bent backwards”)). The intransitive sense "to retch" is from 1707. The noun is from the 16th century, figurative use (for "repression of speech") from the 1620s. The secondary meaning "(practical) joke" is from 1863, of unclear origin.

## Easily confused with
- **go** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-go)
- **GM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gm)
- **GB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gb)
- **GF** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gf)
- **GP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gp)
- **ge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-ge)
- **gi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gi)
- **GS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gs)
- **GC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gc)
- **GR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gr)
- **gg** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gg)
- **GL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gl)
- **GU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gu)
- **gd** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gd)
- **GH** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gh)
- **get** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-get)
- **got** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-got)
- **god** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-god)
- **guy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-guy)
- **gas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gag-vs-gas)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gag